- Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws Conjoint – University of Auckland
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with First Class Honours – University of Auckland
- Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
Jono is an employment and human rights lawyer who leads Gaze Burt’s employment team, helping individuals and organisations navigate challenging situations at work.
Jono has a reputation for handling sensitive, high-stakes situations calmly and pragmatically, whether the stakes are commercial or human – or both.
Whichever side of a matter Jono is on, his core method is the same: establish the facts, understand the client’s needs and goals, and chart a wise course for them to follow.
Jono advises employers and employees on all work-related matters, including workplace investigations, disciplinary and restructuring processes, and personal grievances, and represents clients in mediation and before the Employment Relations Authority, Employment Court, and Human Rights Review Tribunal.
He also has broad experience in professional disciplinary and regulatory matters, advising teachers, nurses, midwives, doctors, and other professionals, with particular expertise at the intersection of employment law, professional regulation, and criminal law, and experience in appealing decisions to exit medical trainees from advanced training programmes.
Access to justice is a core tenet of Jono’s practice. He specialises in cases involving bullying, discrimination, neurodiversity, mental health, and sexual harassment, and has won landmark cases on work-related trauma and mental injury.
Jono is a student of tikanga Māori and trauma-informed legal practice and is committed to embedding their principles in his own practice and his team’s.
Jono is also a strong advocate for the thoughtful use of AI in legal practice and is a key contributor to Gaze Burt’s AI strategy.
Outside the office, Jono enjoys time with his wife and two kids and can otherwise be found listening to newly discovered music, heading to gigs, watching films, brewing coffee, or continuing his ongoing quests to find Auckland’s best burger and best pizza.